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Romantic relationship experiences and emotion regulation strategies of regular mindfulness meditation practitioners: A qualitative study
Author(s) -
Erkan Itır,
Kafesçioğlu Nilüfer,
Cavdar Alev,
ZeytinoğluSaydam Senem
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12462
Subject(s) - intrapersonal communication , meditation , psychology , mindfulness , romance , thematic analysis , relationship education , experiential learning , qualitative research , psychotherapist , social psychology , developmental psychology , interpersonal communication , psychoanalysis , sociology , social science , philosophy , mathematics education , theology
Using attachment theory as the framework, this qualitative study focused on the romantic relationship experiences of regular mindfulness meditators and their meditation‐naïve or nonregularly meditating partners (NMPs). The sample consisted of eight heterosexual and two same‐sex couples. Thematic analysis (TA) yielded seven themes on three levels. Three intrapersonal themes were (a) meta‐awareness of one's emotional strategies; (b) shift in emotion regulation strategies; and (c) shift in relationship with oneself. The relationship‐level themes of meditators emerged as (d) experiential shift in stressful situations; (e) transformation of the emotional bond; and (f) transformation of the romantic relationship; the nonmeditating partners confirmed the relational and individual shifts due to their partner's practice. Integrating attachment theory with meditation practice can thus be a valuable approach for couple and family therapy. A regular meditation practice of even just one of the partners may be beneficial for the couple relationship.